SHANGHAI LOCKDOWN CHAT - LUCIANO
- haibox
- Apr 19, 2022
- 3 min read
1.
Q:
First of all, can you briefly introduce yourself? (Like, where are you from? How long have you been in Shanghai? Which district are you living? What do you do in Shanghai? ,etc.）
A:
I'm Luciano, I was born in Argentina, moved to Italy when I was a kid and I'm a Naval Engineer working in a ship construction company in Shanghai. I'm living in Gaohang , Pudong District (yes I know.... it is very far away from city center lol ).
2.
Q:
How long have you been in this home quarantine? What's the situation of your area or building? How do you manage to solve the basic grocery problem? Do you have enough supplies at the moment?
A:
I've been in quarantine since the 26th of March, as Pudong has been closed one week before Puxi, plus my building has been isolated couple of days ahead of the general lockdown. I have to admit that I have been lucky, never really closed inside my apartment and I have been able to enjoy common areas of my building. At the beginning my company helped me to get some grocery deliveres, plus I had my old Italian grandma pasta stock available, so luckily I have never really worried about food.
3.
Q:
Has this lock down changes your working mode? Is it very different from going to work in the company? What is a typical work day and weekend day for you, during this quarantine?
A:
Due to the nature of my job, working remotely is not that easy, especially if the construction site is in lockdown as well. During this period, I have been working remotely with the Italian team planning the next steps ahead after the reopening. As a golden rule of my lockdown lifestyle, I am trying to stick to some daily schedule to follow, starting to work around eight/ eight thirty. Of course days are not so busy so I can enjoy cooking a decent lunch and use part of the afternoon for meetings with Italy due to the time difference. In the evening I always try to do some workout, I found it to be a good mood booster, and enjoy myself during the night by watching a movie or reading some books.
4.
Q:
What are the warmest AND the most disappointing social news you saw, during this lock down?
A:
I think the warmest news I saw are the ones about solidarity from all around China to Shanghai and also the effort of normal people trying to help their communities by doing some volunteering work. The most disappointing ones probably are related to what people in Shanghai had to tolerate these days even if sometimes, especially for westerners, some rules are out of our logic.
5.
Q:
We saw so much chaotic news every day, has this changed your impression about Shanghai? From 1-10, how much do you score for Shanghai’s lockdown solutions? Any suggestions to improve?
A:
I'm not judging the choices that have been made (by the government), but I think there has been a lack of overall planning in this whole situation. Unfortunately this is the third general lockdown I have experienced and I learnt that one of the first things governance needs to take care during this kind of situation is that essential services (such as food chain supply and health care services) should keep running because they are at the base of our life or survival.
6.
Q:
How do you manage to keep your mind relatively stable during this special period? Have you found some good ways of releasing stress or depression?
A:
It helps me a lot to have a daily schedule to follow, otherwise you take the risk to waste the entire days laying around of your apartment. There is a lot of people during lockdown that actually has the chance to experience hobbies/passions that they cannot do during the normal days, due to time shortage. I found a great relief in having daily training sessions, we are actually having a challenge with some friends to stick to a daily training each single day until the end of the lockdown, plus I'm reading a lot.
7.
Q:
From the lock down, are there any positive lessons or messages that you want to share with other people?
A:
One thing that lockdown always reminds me is that real connections are out there in the real world, and they would not pass through your cellphones. It might sound strange but, during every lockdown I experienced, at one point I always felt the urge to disconnect from my phone. So when all of this is over, remember to go out and give hugs to the ones you have been missing during lockdown, tell someone about the nice things you always wanted to say(or the things you never had the courage to say ) and appreciate all those things you missed when alone in your apartment!
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